Loading Curie Briefs...
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Hormone therapy for menopause isn't just good for symptoms — it could save thousands of dollars per patient. A new cost-effectiveness study found that women who start menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) at age 50 can expect lower lifetime healthcare costs and more quality-adjusted life years, largely driven by a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The findings add fresh momentum to the case for broader MHT use.
Hormone therapy for menopause isn't just good for symptoms — it could save thousands of dollars per patient. A new modeling study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that symptomatic women who start menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) at age 50 can expect lower lifetime healthcare costs and more quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared to no treatment. Both transdermal estradiol alone and estradiol combined with micronized progesterone outperformed no MHT across all 10,000 simulations run by researchers.
The biggest driver? Cardiovascular protection. The model assumed a 48% reduction in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk during MHT use — and that benefit continued even after treatment ended. While both MHT strategies were associated with a modest uptick in breast cancer cases, researchers attributed this largely to longer survival rather than a direct cancer risk from the therapy.
By the numbers:
Why it matters: These findings come as MHT prescribing is still recovering from a sharp drop after the 2002 Women's Health Initiative raised safety concerns. This analysis reinforces that for many symptomatic women, the benefits of MHT — financial and clinical — likely outweigh the risks when started at the right time and with the right formulation.
